Managing task or to-do lists is a challenge faced by millions of people daily. Solutions for managing such lists vary widely, from pencil and paper to stand-alone applications to sophisticated software tools integrated with Personal Information Managers (PIMs) such as Outlook. However, these solutions fall short in several notable ways. In particular, it is difficult to (1) monitor the relationship between available time in a given day, week or month which can be applied to specific tasks (or larger projects) and the amount of time required to complete these tasks (or projects), (2) continuously prioritize, sort, rank or select tasks such that available time is used in accordance with the priorities of the user, (3) update schedules or todo lists in response to changes to a task list, to changes in available time, to changing circumstances, or to shifting user priorities. As a result, task lists often grow unmanageable, accumulating “orphan” tasks or growing to a size that ensures many items will never be completed. Furthermore, as task lists become more oversized, unruly, and populated with “orphans” (Tasks that are not completed as scheduled or for which no time is available), it often becomes difficult for a list owner to make informed decisions about which tasks to do first and which to leave. These difficulties are exacerbated by changing circumstances and priorities, which often render a plan made in the morning inappropriate by lunchtime.
The complexity of managing to-do lists increases when projects are considered. For this discussion, projects refer to larger undertakings comprising multiple tasks (often with tasks being added, removed or changed), and typically spanning long and/or open-ended periods of time. In many cases, to-do list owners will have several projects under way, potentially at different stages of completion, having different time requirements, involving different collaborators, or having different levels of urgency or priority. Projects may also comprise Tasks to be undertaken by many users, who must be able to manage their own time while coordinating with collaborators (who must also be empowered to manage their own time). In such situations, to-do list and project owners must manage available time and required tasks across multiple collaborators, across multiple projects (and their constituent tasks) and across a mix of short-term and long-term objectives, and must fit all of this into the time not scheduled for meetings, travel or other activities.
For most people, the results of all this complexity include inefficient use of time; unrealistic expectations of how much can be done in a given morning, day or week; poor prioritization as important items are left uncompleted; missed deadlines; and so on.
An additional problem with existing paper-based or software-based systems for managing ToDo lists is that they are difficult to use dynamically. While they can be used—with effort—to manage the complexity of multiple tasks, multiple projects, available time and so on, even the most diligent user will have trouble updating their planning as tasks or projects are added or removed from the list, modified, completed early or deferred or as their calendar (and thus available time) changes. When such monitoring/updating is even possible, it is so time consuming as to detract seriously from available time and is thus counter-productive.
Many of these issues apply to workplace or to teams as well as to personal planning for individuals. For example, managers often assign tasks and/or projects to their charges without clear insight into the balance between their assigned workload and available time. This can be especially problematic when more than one manager can assign tasks or projects to a single employee. Furthermore, when employees have been assigned more tasks or projects than their available time can accommodate, they often lack the perspective, information or tools to make the best possible decisions about which tasks to prioritize and which to let fall. In many cases, managers may lack sufficient information to provide guidance on these issues, leading to inefficiency and unproductive stress.
A better tool for using computers and mobile devices to dynamically manage tasks and projects—and to balance these against available time—is desirable.